Five Years After Sarah Everard's Murder: A Society Still Failing Women
It has been five years since Sarah Everard was abducted and murdered by Wayne Couzens, a serving police officer at the time. As the anniversary passes, many women reflect on why they still do not feel safe in a society that continues to normalise violence against them.
The Horrific Details That Demand Repeating
On that fateful evening, Everard was walking home in Clapham after visiting a friend. Couzens approached her, using his Metropolitan Police warrant card to stage a fake arrest under the pretext of breaching coronavirus guidelines. He handcuffed the 33-year-old, bundled her into his car, drove to Dover in Kent, and subsequently raped and murdered her.
These gruesome details must be reiterated because society often shifts blame onto victims in cases of violence against women. Female underwear has been used as "evidence" in rape trials, women have been told they are at greater risk if drunk, and the viral phrase "she was walking home" after Everard's death implied her behaviour could justify the crime.
The Stark Statistics Behind the Fear
Official government figures for the year ending March 2025 reveal alarming rates of abuse. Approximately 3.8 million adults experienced domestic abuse, 1.4 million faced stalking, and 900,000 endured sexual assault. These numbers likely underestimate the true scale, as most victims of sexual offences and domestic abuse never report their experiences.
In December, the government announced a new strategy to combat violence against women and girls, including specialist rape investigation teams. However, for many women, such measures feel insufficient against a backdrop of daily harassment.
Personal Experiences Highlight Systemic Failure
Women across the UK continue to face routine violations. Incidents like being cyberflashed, groped, or catcalled occur without retribution, placing the onus on victims to seek justice. More severe cases, such as non-consensual condom removal or public exposure on transport, further erode any sense of safety.
These acts are so commonplace they often go unreported, internalised as minor inconveniences rather than the violations they are. This normalisation leads to self-doubt: am I overreacting? Was it my fault? Do I have the right to feel violated?
Cultural Change Is the Only Solution
The root issue is a culture that dismisses violence against women until it escalates to murder. In 2015, Kent police failed to investigate an indecent exposure report linked to Couzens' vehicle, missing a chance to prevent his later crimes. This oversight exemplifies how systemic indifference allows predators to operate unchecked.
Until society takes these "small" acts of violence seriously, women will remain unsafe. The police failed Sarah Everard in 2021, and without profound cultural shift, they risk failing countless others today. The need for change is urgent, not just in policy but in everyday attitudes toward women's safety.
